HARARE city councillors are set to meet tomorrow to debate the controversy surrounding management’s “unathorised” acquisition of several state-of-the-art vehicles at a cost $2 million without the city fathers’ consent. MOSES MATENGA
Council human resources committee chairperson Wellington Chikombo confirmed the meeting, adding that councillors were eager to get to the bottom of the suspected scam involving the diversion of part of a $144,4 million Chinese loan for water infrastructure.
“A meeting is on tomorrow to discuss procurement of the said vehicles and we will have to set up a team to probe what exactly happened,” Chikombo said.
Former Harare mayor Muchadeyi Masunda, who signed the loan deal together with town clerk Tendai Mahachi, yesterday said he was concerned with the alleged vehicle scam.
g, with grave concern, the scandalous allegations in connection with the disbursement of the $144,4 million loan which the City of Harare procured from the Chinese Export and Import Bank for the express purpose of rehabilitating the ageing water and sewerage infrastructure for Greater Harare,” Masunda said.
He added: “Dr Tendai John Mahachi, the town clerk, and I, as the mayor of Harare at the material time, signed the requisite agreement of loan in our respective capacities as the duly authorised signatories. I hasten to add that, given my background as one of the most senior legal practitioners in Zimbabwe, I went through the agreement with a fine toothcomb and duly signed it as there was nothing amiss in it.”
Masunda added: “I am waiting with bated breath for the outcome of the investigation which, by the way, should be carried out by duly qualified forensic specialists who would, thereafter, present their findings to my successor, (Bernard Gabriel Manyenyeni), for consideration by him and his team of democratically elected councillors at either a full council meeting or special council meeting.
“Once that has happened, those individuals who are found with their hands deep in the cookie jar will have to face the full wrath of the law.
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Incidentally, I am not a fan of what appears to be the most popular game in the country at the moment i.e. hauling public officials over the coals before either parliamentary portfolio committees or ad hoc council committees which usually degenerate into kangaroo courts largely because they are invariably not properly manned and resourced.”
Members of Parliament have also summoned Mahachi for a hearing over the matter.
